Paella valenciana

The original paella is chicken, rabbit, green beans and garrofó beans - no seafood, and absolutely no chorizo. Cooked outdoors over fire in Valencia, it works on a home hob if you respect two rules: do not stir the rice, and hunt the socarrat, the toasted crust at the bottom.

Ingredients

• 400 g round rice (bomba or Calasparra if possible)
• 500 g chicken pieces and 300 g rabbit (or all chicken)
• 200 g green beans, chopped
• 100 g garrofó (large flat white beans) or butter beans
• 1 ripe tomato, grated
• 1 tsp sweet pimentón
• A generous pinch of saffron threads
• 1.5 l hot chicken stock
• Olive oil, salt, a sprig of rosemary

Method

1. In a paella pan (34-38 cm) over medium-high heat, brown the meat well in olive oil with salt. Push to the edges.
2. Add the beans and fry 5 minutes, then the pimentón and grated tomato; cook until the tomato darkens and dries.
3. Add the saffron and hot stock, adjust salt, and boil hard for 10 minutes.
4. Rain the rice evenly across the pan, stir once only to distribute, add the rosemary and cook on high for 8 minutes.
5. Lower the heat and cook 8-10 more minutes without touching it. For the last minute, raise the heat until you hear the bottom crackle - that is the socarrat forming. Rest 5-10 minutes before serving, straight from the pan.

Tips

• The stock-to-rice ratio is about 3:1 for bomba, 2.5:1 for other round rice.
• Lemon wedges on top are optional; stirring after adding the rice is forbidden.